Sourdough
I wanted to preface this post by letting you know I have no idea what I'm doing.
My brother Stephen who is quite a baker and is practically pro status when it comes to sourdough got me this amazing book for my birthday called Flour Water Salt Yeast. He thought I would enjoy learning this new skill, which to be clear I am. It’s just, I am still such a novice. Even though I have successfully kept Frank (my Starter) alive for about two months now, I am still worried that I'm going to do something wrong. One time I just forgot to feed him……for…..like awhile. I mean, it was definitely longer than it should have been. He’s totally fine now, I brought him back to his chubby, gassy self. It just feels like I might not be over it. My memory isn’t the greatest and I think I am truly stressed about forgetting about him. I can just see him forgotten, lonely, slipping into a deep coma in my fridge. Months have passed, and then finally I bolt up with the sudden realization, “I have to feed Frank!” Unfortunately, it will have been too late and he inevitably never wakes up again.
I might be acting a bit dramatic.
Taking a step back, I think the key is to just bake bread monthly. Get a regular routine down, and try out a new type of bread once a month. That way the chances of forgetting about Frank are much lower.
The actual process of baking sourdough was actually pretty therapeutic. Ya know, once I caved and called my brother for help. The entire process takes about three days, which you’d think would be annoying, but in reality it was relaxing. It was also fun to feel and see the dough change it’s consistency throughout the process. Especially the big reveal of lifting the lid during the bake. Overall, it was a reminder to take things easy, slow down, maybe try not worrying so much. Now that I somewhat know what I'm doing, I’m excited to try more types of bread recipes and get familiar with all the steps of the process, not just feeding Frank. Also, my brother has informed me that I am in fact being dramatic, and I should not be worrying about a starter this much. I think I'm going to take his advice and dry some of my starter out as a fail safe.
